Xerox Corporation

Target Brands, Inc.

Hans Franklin Case

Douglas K Herrmann

Kevin Joseph St Martin

Daniel G Engelby

Christopher H Kaye

Richard Thomas Horn

Timothy J Kelley

Daniel M McHugh

Signage packs for retail store shelves are compiled with a continuous belt pusher system having multiple pushers that allow accumulated set signage packs to be collated and pushed to a downstream transport system that forwards them for the application of hot-melt adhesive to an edge of each pack while simultaneously eliminating printer skipped pitches.

High speed adhesive collation system for retail signage

A workflow process for packing and unpacking variable sized bundles of printed card signs includes providing identifiable codes that make the card signs highly visible and recognizable. Included on selected card signs is a color coded border with indexing added to each bundle in groupings to help in packing and unpacking the bundles into and from boxes. When the bundles are packed in a box on edge, both the person packing and unpacking the box can easily identify the beginning and end of each bundle and thereby limiting the time required to organize and process the bundles and reduce labor cost and errors.

Method for ease in identifying particular bundles of printed cards while packing and unpacking the bundles

A print job received by a printing system has subsets of items. Multiple items are printed on each sheet. Finishing devices of the printing system are limited to processing a single subset of the items at a time, causing printing devices to wait skipped-pitch delays. An unadjusted number of machine-hours to complete the print job is determined based on continuous printing without interruption. A skipped-pitch delay is assigned to each of the subsets of items based on the number of sheets used to print each of the subsets of items. A revised number of machine-hours to complete the print job is calculated by adding the total skipped-pitch delay for the print job to the unadjusted number of machine-hours. The number of the printing devices and the finishing devices to use to complete the print job is determined based on the revised number of machine-hours.

Skipped-pitch compensating printing/finishing system

A job includes pages that have multiple items positioned according to coordinates. A sheet coordinate location identifier for each of the items (that corresponds to the coordinates for the items) is added to the job. The job is printed to produce printed sheets of items (printed items) printed according to the coordinates. A cutting device cuts the printed sheets, according to the coordinates, into individually cut items. Each of the cut items includes the sheet coordinate location identifier printed thereon, and this identifies the pre-cutting locations of the cut items within the uncut sheets of print media. The cut items are inspected for cutting defects to identify defective items. Pre-cutting locations of the defective items are identified using only the sheet coordinate location identifier printed on the defective items. A repair recommendation for the cutting device is based on the most common pre-cutting location of the defective items.

Dynamic imposition identifier for items cut from sheets

A process for creating adhesive signage for in-store shelving involves applying a PSA (pressure sensitive adhesive) tape to paper and then printing the signs on the modified substrate. The adhesive strips are 10 mils thick and the paper is 8 mils thick with the tape being positioned on a top portion only of the paper. This creates uneven stack issues in the feeder of the printer that prevents proper feeding of the sheets into the printer. These issues are eliminated by providing taped media imposition that orients the PSA to signage card color bands which are imposed in a mirror image. Mirror imaging of indicia on the card color bands evens out the sheet stack and enhances sheet feeding.

Taped media imposition for adhesive in-store signage

A printing system includes a printer configured to render items based on customer requirements; a sorting and packaging system configured to automatically sort and package printed items; and a processor configured to print, sort and package items based on predetermined physical locations within a customer's business establishment where the printed items are to be displayed. A method of printing is also provided.

Automated print production

A marketing sign is constructed of a sheet material. The sheet material includes a free portion, a base portion and a connecting portion that couples the base portion to the free portion. The base portion includes an engaging piece and a support piece. The engaging piece is coupled to the support piece at a base bend line and configured to engage with a portion of a product display structure having a price holder. The connecting portion is defined between a first connecting bend line spaced apart from a second connecting bend line by a first distance. The first connecting bend line is adjacent the support piece of the base portion and the second connecting bend line is adjacent the free portion. The first distance substantially corresponds with a top edge thickness of the price holder.

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Jordan, MN, United States of America

Hans Franklin Case